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H. W. BREGKENRIDGE. ELECTRIC-SWITCH BOARD.

UNITED 4NSTATES ltaTENr @Errea HENEEW. EEEeEEn-Einen, OE rEOvrEENOE, EEOEE isLnEn, AssrenOE, ErA MEsEEnssieNnENrs To THE RHODE IsLAND TELEPHONE AED ELEO- frEic COMPANY, OE SAME rLAcE.

ELECTRlC SWlTCHBOARD.

SPEGIFVIYCATION formingjparr of Letters Patent No.'-290,845, datcdDecernber V25, 1883;,4

v .Application filed-January 2, 1883. (No model.)

,To a/ZZ wiom it 12mg/ concern.- Be it known that I, HENRY V. BEEOKEN- vRIDGE, of the city and county of YProvidence,

.and State of4 Rhode lsl'and, have invented av 5'newand-useful Improvement in Electrical Switch-Boards; and I, hereby de'clarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description vof the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming part ot" this speciiication j This invention has reference to an improved constructionof a switch-board for speaking telegraph or telephone central ofiiees, and the keys for connecting -the line-wires with the 1 wires of the switch-board.

- The invention consists, first, in the peeul-iar and novel construction ofA the board in strips differing in color, and wires'crossing each other at right angle.

It further consists in the peculiar construe tion of the key, by which a metallic connection is made between any two of the wires and broken, as will be more fully set forth hereinafter. l

The yobject of the invention is to facilitate f, the rapid connection of two conducting-wires,

so as t'o connect ordisconneet subscribers with each other or the central Officer Figure lis a view of .a part of a switchboard made up of strips differing in color. 'Parts are shown broken away, so as to show the wires crossing'each other more clearly. 'Fig 2 is a sectional view of the'switch-board, showing the wires embedded in the same, 'and a view of the key shown inserted over two wires, soas to connect the same electrically. Fig. .3 is also a sectionat'yiew, showing the key inserted so as to connect two of the wires. Fig. 4, is an end view of the key, 'showing the shank divided into four pointsy by a cross-cut made longitudinal throughlthe axis of the shank. l A

ln the drawings, A B are strips of any suit- A able non-conducting material, in each of which 4,5I two rows ot' holes, C C, are made. The wires D l) are inserted in these strips, crossing the .same and passing through the centers of the holes C C, vThe wires EE, runninglengthj wise with the strips'A'andB, below the wires 5o D D, crossthe former vwires at right 'angle in the center of the holes C C. The whole is se"4 cured to the backing F. Y Asv switch-boards were heretofore made, plates perforated with holes'were used in place of the `wires D D. Such plates or strips had to, be wider than the diameter of the holes, and had also to be placed sufficiently apart to prevent electric disturbance. By the use of two sets of wires separated by anon-conductor,

A and by forming the holes in the non-conductor, 6o

a much larger number of ke 7-holes C C- can be made anda greater nu'niber of connections niadeon a switch-boardl of a given size than could be made on boards as preyiously constructed, andthe physical labor of the o'p'er- 65 ator is thereby reduced, as a given number of connections can be more conveniently reached.

To enable the -bperator to follow quicklyV with .the eye the wire lpassing through any set ofholes, the strips A and B are made of dif- 7o ferent color, such as white for A and red orl black for B. .Toi connect the two wires, the key G is provided with a round shank divided along its axis by the cross-eut 71., so as to produce four metallic points, r/ g, the ends of which 7 5 Yare rounded tofaciiitate the insertion over the wires. `lhe four metallic lpoints g'g .are sufficiently elastic to yield slightly as they are., pushed 'over the wire, and'as they forni two bifurcated forks, theymay be inserted quickly. 8c They will clamp the w ire D by yielding inone direction andthe wire E by yieldinginthe opposite direction, thus-making metallic contact l with the two wires by four bridges or metallic connections, each of which must always be, when the key is inserted, in close metallic con` tact with both wires, making an ele'ctriccontact much superior tothe metallic contact produced bythebifurcatedmetallic plugsheretoforeused to connect a wire to the perforated plate. 'This goiinproved key cannot be inserted into any one of the holes without making the desired conneetion, nor is there any skill-or care required in inserting thesame. f As therounded pointe I g g guide the Ykey,-the spring of the legs or points insures the metallic contact and elecl' trical connection.

lffor any purpose it should be desirable to cross the wires at any other than alright angle,

it is 'obvious that'thewires may beso placed in .Ich

"s @come l the switch-board, and also that a key may be i constructed with three legs.v or points g g, and

prcmduee nearly, if not quite, as good a. result.

I prefer, however, the construction described,

as the same 'is'simple and convenient in use.

Having thus described my invention, I claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent- .1. Info telephonebfce switch-board, the

combination', with the wires D and E, embed .ded'in ai non-conducting' material provided with. the holes C C, of a. key constructed to produce@ metallic connection `with two of the Wires when inserted, as described.'`

` 2'.- A telephoneoftice switchboard consisting of stripsdiffering in color, having Wires embedded at rig/ht angles Ato each other and crossing eachother in' the'center or" holes, in

- Which-a bifurcated vlrey,.when inserted, conandrconnect the semeelectrically, 'as described.

, 25 4. 4A key constructed. to connect electrically.

two 'sets of wires'crossing eachother-at right angle or nearly at 'right angle, provided with legs or points constructed tospring over both wires, the ends ofwhichare formed so aste 3c,

guidethe key over the Wires, es described.

HENRYLW. 'BRECKENRIDGEL Witnesses:

' J. A. MILLER, .J r., VYM. F. BLIGH. 

